New Afera Committee Meeting format launched
Last month, Afera’s Technical, Marketing and Steering Committees convened at the InterContinental Düsseldorf for our biannual Meetings. Here they worked together according to a new Meeting structure, which was introduced in Lisbon to increase Committee Member participation and Working Group (WG) output. It was found to be efficient and successful then, so under the guidance of strategist Bert van Loon, Secretary General Astrid Lejeune took things to the next level.
“Our focus in bringing the Committees and WGs together is twofold: putting more focus on selected strategic initiatives and adjusting the Meeting format to include teamwork sub-Meetings on key topics,” explained Ms. Lejeune. “All WG leaders submitted pre-event updates, so we were able to make the most of our time together.”
A microcosm of the European industry acting and innovating together in business 
“We relaunched Afera’s Committee Meeting format in order to expand input and output,” added Afera President Evert Smit. “But it’s also more that: Our playing field within Europe is really level, and as companies we have to work together to become future-proof. Everybody can have their own niche, but Afera facilitates the future reality, which is co-operation.”
“It is more result-driven, because the WGs have one full hour to work on their agendas,” said Ralf Roenisch, head of R&D at Coroplast Fritz Müller GmbH & Co. KG.
“I feel more activated, because we have more time to dive deeper into a discussion in smaller groups,” Danny Beekman, senior technical associate application development adhesives at Kraton Corporation, remarked. “I see real value in that.”
Jeff Burrington, application specialist at H.B. Fuller U.K., Ltd., shared his thoughts about the increased engagement of Technical Committee Members: “This is a positive step forward. The fact that there are subgroups—smaller committees—I think also encourages people to speak up and take part. It’s a different dynamic from sitting in on the larger Committee Meeting, where some might hesitate to contribute.”
“I think the new Meeting structure has turned out really well,” said Alan Gilding, technical manager at Advance Tapes International. “It’s brought some new life to the Meetings. Changing from a reporting, plenary-style meeting structure to a dynamic agenda with action taken in the WGs has made it more interesting for me. I also like the fact that we are interacting with different people on the Committee in a different manner.”
If you would like to participate in Afera's discussions and decision-making on issues that affect the tape industry, contact Ms. Lejeune about joining one of the Association’s Committees or WGs. As the lifelines of Afera, the Committees and WGs meet at least twice a year to discuss and develop their action plans for carrying out Afera's mission: To unite stakeholders along the value chain of the European tape industry, ensuring and increasing the relevance of the tape industry in the world of tomorrow.